


Shadows in Haunted Corridors

by Raphael_Stantiago



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Exy (All For The Game), Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Abuse, Friends to Lovers, Ghost!Andrew Minyard, Graphic Description of Corpses, Growing Up, Growing Up Together, M/M, ghost au, ill add more as we go - Freeform, its very angsty people, or its gonna be ;)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:15:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28613445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raphael_Stantiago/pseuds/Raphael_Stantiago
Summary: “I’m not going to hurt you like your Dad, you know that right?”“Yeah, I know.” He seemed so serious and upset at the thought of Nathaniel not trusting him that he hurried to reassure him, but as soon as the words left his mouth Nathaniel knew they were true. Somehow, he knew he was safe with this boy. He shifted closer until their knees were almost touching, them sitting cross-legged across from each other on the bed. “I’m Nathaniel.”“I’m Andrew.”~Ghost AU Where Neil and Andrew grow up together, away from Exy and alone.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	Shadows in Haunted Corridors

**Author's Note:**

> CW: Child Abuse, Police, Burns  
> Seriously don't read if you don't want to or can't, and if you're having a bad day be kind to yourself :)

Nathaniel was scared, his mother had told him to sit still but there were men in uniform walking around the house and talking to his father and it was hard not to fidget a little bit, especially when he was nervous. One of the men, Officer Hadwell he’d said his name was, had tried to talk to him but his father had glared at him from behind his shoulder until Nathaniel had shakily replied that he didn’t want to talk to him. He didn’t know what the men were there for, they usually came round less often than this but in recent months they were here almost every fortnight and he was worried his father was going to get in trouble, it wouldn’t end well for him if he was. 

Another man walked into the room and walked up to the man he’d spoken to, a frown creased his forehead adding lines making his youthful face seem older than it actually was. This man had been one of the men who had gone upstairs to search the house, looking for any suspicious matter that could help them build a case against Nathan Wesninski. Nathaniel could tell them there was no point, that the baby faced officer who was currently in the basement had come round last night and told them about the ‘surprise visit’ and that Romero had come and transported anything the police could be looking for earlier that morning, but he didn’t because Nathaniel knew it would most likely get him killed. It didn’t matter that he was Nathan’s son, nepotism had no place in the Wesninski household. 

He bounced his legs slightly in the air where they didn’t meet the floor, his fingers winding around each other like the vines that tried to creep into the house every summer and the police officer spared him a glance, before reluctantly looking back to his colleague and responding in hushed, guarded tones. “It seems there is nothing here for us to worry about, you have a lovely home Mr. Weninski. We won't be back as often as we have been recently, have a good day.”  


“It wasn’t a problem.” Nathan’s voice was smooth and charming as he said goodbye to the police officers but his eyes were cold with self satisfaction. They had known this was the last raid the police were able to do, another officer had told them last week that the force only had one chance to find something on them before the captain was making them relocate their resources, apparently it was a waste to spend so much on a wild goose chase. 

The door closed and Nathaniel sat still, or as still as he could, when his father walked back into the room. The older man’s sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and he had a smile in his eyes, Nathaniel knew the soft look was deceptive but could do nothing but sit as still as he could while he drew nearer, warily staring up at him from where he had been sat when the police had arrived.

“You’re doing a pretty good job of sitting still now Nathaniel, were you not trying before?” his smile didn’t meet his eyes and his tone was dangerously soft, he knew he shouldn’t answer but the instinct to try and prove his innocence still warred in his mind.  


”No I-'' He cut off suddenly when the fake smile left his father’s face. He knew the reason he could sit still now was because he was far more afraid of his father than he ever would be of the police.  


“Don’t talk when I’m talking to you, boy.” Nathaniel could hear the anger in his voice now and he shrank back, getting as small as he could against his chair without curling up completely, he knew it would be worse if he did. Nathan walked casually over to the side of the room where his mother had left the washing a few moments before, she had gone to help the police officers around the house and wasn’t back yet. His back was turned towards the small boy and he could tell that something was in his hand but he didn’t know what yet, his bulky figure stopping him from catching a glimpse of whatever had caught his attention.

He lunged suddenly and a searing pain lit up along Nathaniel’s upper arm, blistering heat accompanied by the faint smell of burning, charred skin. He cried out and was dimly aware of the iron being pulled from his skin but the pain was so overwhelming he couldn’t be sure, he didn’t know how something could hurt this much when it wasn’t even touching him. He curled up on his chair, knowing nothing apart from his arm and how much it hurt to move, the fabric was scratchy and uncomfortable where it was pressed up against his face and he knew that clutching his arm like he was doing now would probably only make it worse but he seemed incapable of all rational thought, knowing only what had been done to him. Horrid, disjointed sobs and cries echoed around the room and it took him a moment to realise the sounds were coming from him, horrible keening wails that shook his entire frame as he struggled to escape the pain, thinking that if only he got up he would be able to somehow outrun the pain or leave it behind.

Nathaniel didn’t know how long he stayed, curled and alone in the empty lounge until he passed out from the pain.

~

The first thing Nathaniel noticed when he woke up was that he was no longer in the lounge, and had instead been returned to his bedroom. The second thing he noticed was that even with a couple hours since the police visit, his arm was not hurting any less and in fact seemed to hurt even more. He winced as he attempted to sit up, gingerly lifting his arm as little as possible as every little moment sent searing agony running up his arm like a forest fire consuming anything in its path. Taking sharp breaths in through his nose, he managed to lean up against his headboard, legs stretched out in front of him as he looked for the first time at the impact of his father’s actions. A bandage had been wound around his arm, and Nathaniel recognised it as part of the medical supplies they kept in the house, there was no need to give the police another reason to look into the family when they could deal with it at home. Gently unravelling the cloth, Nathaniel took stock of the situation with a careful detachment he didn’t truly believe in, but clung on to so he didn’t need to process what had happened himself.

Red skin was revealed, peeling away in great patches from the centre, shiny skin littered with blisters and sores as pus and blood tried to make their way through the skin desperately trying to mend itself. It was worse than Nathaniel had imagined and he had to look away from it for a second before he could slip back into his cool mask and accurately assess the damage. The bandages had come soaked in a substance that he could only imagine was to help him heal, and he noticed a bag next to him on the bed. Inside was a jar of that strange substance, a yellow mushy solid that he did not relish putting on his already aching body. No painkillers could be found, but he expected that. What was the point of a punishment if you stopped feeling the pain.  


”That looks pretty rough.”  


A voice cut through Nathaniel’s pessimistic thoughts and he looked up startled, he was sure he was alone. It took a moment for him to realise it was a child’s voice, and that he had relatively nothing to fear from them. A cough sounded from next to him and he looked to his left and found the source of his confusion and exhausted fear. A boy sat on his window sill, feet dangling and expression guarded as he regarded the injured boy below. Moonlight streamed through his pale hair, making it almost glow and Nathaniel longed to touch it, to see if it felt as soft and magical as it looked. Shadows cast across the boy’s face made him seem almost pixie like, as if he belonged in one of the books Nathaniel’s mother had read him when he was younger, and his hazel eyes reflected the moon back at him. The boy was wearing a black, long sleeved t shirt and jeans but no socks and shoes which Nathaniel thought was odd, he’d never seen anyone in the house barefoot before. It hadn’t bothered him before but now it seemed strange to him. The boy looked ethereal.  


“Well? What happened?” Neil shook himself as he realised he had forgotten the stranger had said something to him, too busy distracted by the child himself.  


“Um, I knocked into an iron.”  


“Knocked into huh?” The boy looked so disbelieving that Nathaniel almost seemed offended, he was a good liar, he had to be to explain away all his strange absences and invisible aches and pains to his teachers. His classmates learned to ignore him by now.  


“Yes.”  


”Hm.” The boy made a noncommittal sound and jumped down from the window ledge, landing neatly at the end of Nathaniel’s bed, close to him but with enough distance between them to remind him that he’d only known of the boy a few moments before.  


“Fine. My father hit me, are you happy now?”  


”Not really, but you shouldn’t lie to people to protect people who don’t deserve it. Plus it’s not like I can tell anyone.”  


“What do you mean?” Nathaniel was confused but the fair haired boy waved his hand in what was clearly a dismissal, but Nathaniel flinched all the same. The boy frowned at this, and scooted closed cautiously across the bed and looked at him very seriously.  


”I’m not going to hurt you like your Dad, you know that right?”  


”Yeah, I know.” He seemed so serious and upset at the thought of Nathaniel not trusting him that he hurried to reassure him, but as soon as the words left his mouth Nathaniel knew they were true. Somehow, he knew he was safe with this boy. He shifted closer until their knees were almost touching, them sitting cross-legged across from each other on the bed. “I’m Nathaniel.”  


“I’m Andrew.”

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how frequent I will update, but I have a plan for this story so we'll see. Thanks for coming this far, feel free to leave comments or kudos it makes me want to write more <3


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